The GNC Engineer: Aerospace's Unicorn

What is it? Why is it important? And what’s the implication for deeptech startups?

Guidance, Navigation, and Control (“GNC”) are *critically* important things for any vehicle. It’s the core discipline that ensures autonomous systems like self-driving cars, drones, and guided missiles go exactly where they’re supposed to. Without it, one ends up needing to “keep Earth in the window” to steer, like Jim Lovell in Apollo 13…

But GNC isn’t easy! It’s a complex field that requires one to draw on multiple areas of expertise. And finding someone that does each exceptionally well is rare, especially for startups with limited resources early on.

For example, here’s a few Basic Qualifications + Preferred Skills from Varda’s job posting requesting GNC engineers:

• B.S. degree in aerospace, mechanical, electrical engineering, physics, or related field

• Strong software and model development skills, particularly in C++/Python/MATLAB/Simulink

• Experience with AGI STK, FreeFlyer, or similar tools

• Understanding of multi-body dynamics, flexible body dynamics, gas dynamics, fluids, and thermodynamics

• 2+ years of experience with spacecraft attitude determination and control system design

So basically, we’re looking for a unicorn! For this role, this individual needs to draw upon multiple disciplines to build a functioning system that knows where it is at all times and won’t veer off in an uncontrolled direction. Easy peasy!

For startups in particular, this role is critical to successful early hardware development. It’s why other companies like K2 Space, Vast, Apex, and Starfish Space have made this one of their top hiring priorities. As Yogi Berra said, “If you don't know where you are going, you'll end up someplace else.”

So what’s the takeaway? Hiring for engineering talent in startups is always important, but disproportionately valuable for deeptech companies! Exceptional early talent compounds competitive moats in any business, but it does so faster for any deeptech company that embraces investing in talent acquisition from day one.

+Mike

PS - s/o to my friends JB @ Argo Space and Seyka from Ad Astra for teaching me about GNC over the years!